How To Get Franchisees To Buy-in To Marketing Campaigns

Jan Timms, National Retail ManagerWorldwide Online Printing

The Challenge!• The best researched, planned and executed

marketing campaign can consume a huge amount of franchisor resources and fail to make a difference at store or territory level if franchisees themselves don't support the campaign and 'buy-in' locally!– It was a text book campaign – what went wrong?

• How to overcome franchisee indifference and

skepticism to ensure that marketing campaigns deliver real results across the board!

7 Steps to Overcoming Indifference & Scepticism

1. Sell the Benefits! 2. One Size Doesn't Fit All!

• Its All About Choices! 3. Ongoing Franchisee Involvement in Decisions4. Training the Whole Team to Work the Plan 5. Integrated with Local Sales Plan6. Tool Kit of Local Area Support Materials7. Field Support – Accountability Coaching

Step 1 - Sell The Benefits

• The National Conference is a Great Place to launch something new!

• Otherwise franchise meetings or any other regular forums

Result:Energised,

Motivated EEs, ready for action!

Step 2 - One Size Doesn't Fit All!

• Each Centre allocated a monthly budget to spend on promotional activities

• A bonus $100 is added for completing the monthly evaluation so we can track results

• Orders for Promo300 activities must be placed by the published cut off date each month

• Conditional upon account with Marketing Fund being up to date

• Franchisees can purchase additional budget – every month more do!

Its All About Choices!

• Budget can be spent on a combination of these promotional activities:– eBulletins– 3 choices of Direct Mail– Telephone Sales Calls– 3 choices of Unaddressed Mail– Unaddressed Mailers delivered to Centre– Posters & Banners– Promotional Giveaways

• System also used to order business stationery, forms etc

Result:Increase in EE Take Up & Satisfaction

Promotional Activities Ordered

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10

Total UMs

Total DMs

eBulletin

Telephone Sales

Givaways

Did not place orderOptions Introduced (200 DMs OR 100

DMs plus 1000 eBulletins)

Promo300 Introduced

Our Franchisees are More Satisfied

Step 3 - Ongoing Franchisee Involvement in Decisions• Marketing Review Group• Product and service promotion suggestions

from the coal face• Results monitored• Continuous improvement

– Offers– Support tools– Training Result:

Increase in Leads Generated from

Campaigns

$-

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

$35,000

$40,000

$45,000

Feb March April May

Estimated Dollar Value of Quotes Generated from Promo300 Leads

Step 4 - Train Whole Team to Work the Plan

Result:On the Job

Behaviour Change

Step 5 - Integrated Local Sales Plan

• All team members involved in the sales plan• Sales Growth Activities

– Local area lead generation system– Lapsed customer System– New Customer Follow-up– Quote Follow-up

Result:Increase in Sales

Local Area Lead Generation

• Integrated prospecting system– Local area friendship visits– Email– Direct mail– Telephone contact

• Aim is to get F2F with qualified prospects

• It takes an average of 4.6 hits with a suspect before they show an interest in buying

Demonstrate Success – Share Results Case Study 1• 10 years of ownership, became reliant on regular

client base, no outside sales activity occurring • Decline in sales due to GFC

– change in sales mix– client base comprised many construction firms &

architects• Same staff numbers even though business had

declined• WWOP is their superannuation, need to build

it back up again as a saleable asset

RESULTS FROM LEAD GENERATION STSTEM - SOUTHPORT CENTRE

Activity QTY ResultHit 1 - Friendship Calls 209Hit 2 - Follow up emails sent 154 73.7%Hit 3 - Helping Locals Succeed DMs sent 154 73.7%Hit 4 - Follow up phone calls made 34 16.3%Results QTY $ ValueRequests for quotes received 14 51,992.74$ Won 7 8,005.00$ Awaiting decision 4 23,300.00$ Lost 6 20,687.74$

6 Week Sales Plan Results

Monthly Sales Figures

$-

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10

Comments from the Franchisees“Campaign to door knock our territory has been a positive experience. Owing to the constant movement of staff within companies it has given us chance to reacquaint with existing customers and meet new potential customers within our area”

“We also found that existing customers which in some cases had “lapsed” owing to new staff taking over were renewed and our name was out there again.

“The dropping off of “friendship” gifts has been well received generally. Some people have let us know in no uncertain terms that they are more than happy with their existing printer, but mostly it has been very positive.”

Demonstrate success – share results Case Study 2

• Very diligent in outside sales• Used friendship calls and then followed up with a letter and

phone call

Step 6 - Tool Kit of Support Materials

• Local area lead generation materials– Friendship calls– Prospecting

• Microsite banner• Email footers• Email templates:

– Customer targeted– Prospect targeted– Lost quote follow-up– Lapsed customer targeted

• Messages on hold

Result:Increased Tool

Usage

Step 7 - Field Support & Accountability Coaching• Adapt Sales Plan to business and territory needs • All team members involved complete self paced

training modules and assessments• Preparation tasks completed and forwarded to

Field Support Manager• Submit weekly sales reports • Weekly coaching session• Monthly benchmarking report

Result:Continuous Sales

Improvement

Any Questions?

7 Steps to Overcoming Indifference & Scepticism:1. Sell the Benefits! 2. One Size Doesn't Fit All!

• Its All About Choices!

3. Ongoing Franchisee Involvement in Decisions4. Training the Whole Team to Work the Plan 5. Integrated with Local Sales Plan6. Tool Kit of Local Area Support Materials7. Field Support – Accountability Coaching